Downtown San Diego Welcomes 250 Affordable Apartments

The grand opening of 250 affordable rental apartments was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

San Diego—The grand opening of 250 affordable rental apartments was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

SVA Architects, nonprofit BRIDGE Housing, and their partners present Celadon at 9th & Broadway, a 17-story high-rise located on a former parking lot in a redeveloping urban area. The new community embraces a multigenerational population with ground-floor retail and services. Twenty-five units are reserved for youth aging out of foster care and adults under the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) program. 63 apartments will be offered to frail seniors under the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

The apartments are affordable to residents with annual incomes up to $37,920 for a two-person household. Monthly rents range from nearly $533 to $879, depending on income, household and apartment size.

Residents have access to a great room, two laundry rooms, numerous outdoor spaces with barbecues and a resident garden, supportive services and a meeting room. Celadon is designed to achieve LEED Silver Certification, with highly efficient mechanical systems and an eco-roof with drought tolerant plantings. The solar photovoltaic system, standing at 143 feet tall, is the tallest electric solar system of its kind in the country.

“We are thrilled to bring this volume of affordability and resident services to downtown San Diego,” said BRIDGE Housing President and CEO Cynthia A. Parker. “It required persistence, complex financing and incredibly committed partners, and we couldn’t be more proud to deliver this one-of-a-kind property to the community.”

“Celadon at 9th & Broadway satisfies the goals of a cohesive urban community,” said Ernesto Vasquez, FAIA, NCARB, partner & CEO of SVA Architects. “It offers much-needed, intergenerational, affordable housing, and easy access for residents to connect with the downtown community and its numerous amenities. Celadon is only blocks away from mass transit, and is a pivotal project in supporting growth around the ballpark. It was designed to achieve LEED Silver Certification, and we expect it will be one of downtown San Diego’s signature high-rises for years to come.”

The $74.3-million property received financing from US Bank, US Bank CDC, City of San Diego/Civic San Diego, California Department of Housing and Community Development, California Housing Finance Agency/ County of San Diego BHS, and the San Diego Housing Commission. SVA Architects collaborated with Studio E Architects to design Celadon and the general contractor was Turner Construction Company.

“There’s tremendous need for affordable housing nationwide but that need is amplified in San Diego, one of the most expensive rental markets in the country. BRIDGE Housing is one of the most highly respected affordable housing developers in California and the Pacific Northwest and we’re proud to partner in bringing Celadon at 9th & Broadway to life,” said Lisa Gutierrez, vice president at U.S. Bank.